GOOD LAWS, GOOD FOOD: PUTTING STATE FOOD POLICY TO WORK FOR UR OMMUNITIES O C November 2012 WRITTEN BY THE HARVARD LAW SCHOOL FOOD LAW AND POLICY CLINIC UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF EMILY BROAD LEIB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARK WINNE ASSOCIATES Cover photos courtesy of Alli Condra MARK WINNE ASSOCIATES TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 About This Toolkit ............................................................................................................................................ 2 About the Authors ............................................................................................................................................ 4 SECTION I: GENERAL LEGAL SETTING ....................................................................................................... 5 Overview ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Federalism and the Interplay of Federal, State, Local, & Tribal Law ................................................................ 5 Understanding Legislation & Regulation ........................................................................................................ 10 Getting to Know Your State Government ........................................................................................................ 14 State Food System Assessment ......................................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 SECTION II: FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................. 18 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Production ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 Processing ........................................................................................................................................................ 24 Aggregation & Distribution ............................................................................................................................. 25 Retail ................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Food Waste Management ................................................................................................................................. 27 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 27 SECTION III: LAND USE & PLANNING ............................................................................................. 28 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 28 Basic Concepts of Land Use & Planning .......................................................................................................... 28 Farmland Preservation Techniques: State Land Use Policies ........................................................................... 29 Farmland Preservation Techniques: Restricting Land to Agricultural Uses .................................................... 30 Other Farmland Preservation Techniques ....................................................................................................... 36 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 39 SECTION IV: FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS .................................................................................... 40 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 40 SNAP ................................................................................................................................................................ 40 WIC .................................................................................................................................................................. 44 Maximizing Food Assistance Program use to Benefit the Local Food Economy .............................................. 48 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 53 SECTION V: CONSUMER ACCESS & CONSUMER DEMAND .................................................................. 54 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 Improving Consumer Access ........................................................................................................................... 54 Improving Consumer Demand for Healthy Foods ........................................................................................... 60 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 62 SECTION VI: FARM TO INSTITUTION ............................................................................................... 63 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 63 What is Farm to Institution? ............................................................................................................................ 63 Farm to State Agencies ..................................................................................................................................... 65 Farm to School ................................................................................................................................................. 68 Farm to University Programs ........................................................................................................................... 73 Farm to Other Institutions ............................................................................................................................... 74 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 76 SECTION VII: SCHOOL FOOD & EDUCATION ................................................................................... 77 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 77 School Nutrition .............................................................................................................................................. 77 Health & Nutrition Education ......................................................................................................................... 84 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 88 SECTION VIII: FOOD SAFETY & PROCESSING ................................................................................... 89 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 89 Overview of Food Safety Regulations: Federal & State .................................................................................... 89 Quality Certification Programs for Agricultural Producers ............................................................................ 91 Food Safety Regulations for Processed Foods .................................................................................................. 93 Meat, Poultry, & Egg Processing for Small-Scale Producers ............................................................................ 96 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 101 SECTION IX: RESOURCES ............................................................................................................ 102 INTRODUCTION As an increasing number of consumers look to influence the system that brings food from the field to their dinner plates, they often find that it is policy that they are looking to change. “Food policy”—a term used to describe the set of laws and regulations that inform how, why, and when food is produced, transported, distributed, and consumed—has only recently emerged as an identified field of study. This recent emergence is largely a result of the piecemeal nature of food and agricultural policy in the United States. The U.S. food system is governed by a combination of laws and regulations spanning various